 | AntsBlack and red garden ants are normally innocent garden dwellers but do bite if they feel threatened. |
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 | Bed BugsBed bugs feed on our blood whilst we’re sleeping, and cause itchy spots. They do not however spread disease. |
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 | BeesBees can be a problem in early spring and summer at swarming time. Swarms are valuable to beekeepers, which they are happy to collect them.
This is essential with the present declining numbers of bees around.
Occasionally a swarm will enter chimney or building where it cannot be collected and, as a last resort may have to be destroyed. |
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 | BeetlesThere are several common beetle species, and often found in dried foodstuffs, bakeries, grain stores and houses. They can also attack fabrics and furs. |
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 | Cluster FliesCluster flies are often mistaken for the common fly, but are slightly larger. They do not carry any diseases as they live on nectar and pollen, coming into buildings solely to hibernate. |
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 | CockroachesThere are three types of cockroaches, oriental, American and German, all seen in UK. They spread disease by infecting food. |
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 | FleasFleas live mainly on pets but do bite humans leaving itchy red sores. Fleas need blood to survive and reproduce and blood can be sourced from animals, birds and humans. |
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 | MiceThe mouse is the most widely distributed mammal in the world. They contaminate food and work surfaces spreading disease and parasites to humans.
They can squeeze through very tiny gaps and are mainly active at night. |
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 | MolesThey are blackish brown mammals and rarely seen due to living solitary lives in tunnels underground, feeding mostly on earthworms. |
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 | MothsThey are found in foodstuffs and textiles and cause considerable damage to both. Adult moths don’t do the damage but the lava does. |
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 | RatsThey are generally dullish grey colour but this can vary to a brownish colour. They are up to 40cm (15”) long including the tail. Rats must be controlled as they do serious damage to property and crops.
Rats spread diseases to humans, including salmonellosis (food poisoning) and Weils disease. They nest in lofts under buildings, garden sheds or anywhere where there is food and shelter.
It is best if food stuffs are kept in metal or glass containers as rats will gnaw through packets as they are particularly fond of cereals, and in fact almost anything that humans eat. |
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 | SquirrelsGrey squirrels do considerable damage to woodland by stripping bark, and attacks birds nests eating eggs and fledglings. They access loft spaces damaging electrical cables and water pipes sometimes causing fires and flooding. |
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 | WaspsWasps are a beneficial insect because of the number of garden pests they collect to feed the lava in the nest. They can be a nuisance if the entrance to their nest is close to human activity, and can give a nasty sting in protecting the nest. |
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